Pampadromaeus
"Pampas runner"
Type species Pampadromaeus barberenai
- Lived
- 237 to 227 million years ago, Late Triassic
- Group
- Early sauropodomorphs, Saturnaliidae
- Found in
- Brazil
- Named by
- Cabreira et al. 2011
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
230 million years ago
Habitat
It lived on an inland plain crossed by rivers in what is now Brazil. Other dinosaurs from the Santa Maria Formation include Saturnalia, Buriolestes and Staurikosaurus.
Field notes
About Pampadromaeus
What it was like
Pampadromaeus was a small, early relative of the giant sauropods. It walked on two long legs and had a small head with leaf-shaped teeth at the back and pointed teeth at the front, which suggests it ate a mix of plants and small animals.
Its world
It lived in the Late Triassic in what is now Brazil. Its bones come from the Santa Maria Formation, one of the richest sources of early dinosaurs, where it lived alongside Saturnalia, Buriolestes and the predator Staurikosaurus.
How it was found
Cabreira and colleagues named it in 2011. The type species is Pampadromaeus barberenai.
Field gallery
More views of Pampadromaeus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Pampadromaeus.
The evidence
The science behind Pampadromaeus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A nearly complete skeleton preserves most skull bones, parts of the backbone and bones from the limbs and hips.
- Its teeth have flattened, leaf-shaped crowns, with serrated edges on many of them.
- The leg bones show a small animal with long hind limbs.
Borrowed from relatives
- Much of its shape comes from its own bones; Saturnalia and other early sauropodomorphs help fill the gaps in its skeleton.
Still unknown
- The balance of plants and small animals in its diet.
- Its skin covering and color.
- Its exact relationship to Saturnalia and other early sauropodomorphs.
Discovery timeline
- 2011Named itCabreira et al.
- 2017Growing upMüller et al.
- 2019Full descriptionLanger et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Pampadromaeus
Named it
Described a small dinosaur with a mixture of early dinosaur traits and placed it near the base of the sauropodomorph family tree.
New stem-sauropodomorph (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Triassic of Brazil. Naturwissenschaften 98: 1035-1040
Read the paper : New stem-sauropodomorph (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Triassic of Brazil (opens in a new tab)Growing up
Assigned an immature thigh bone to Pampadromaeus and showed how growth can alter features used to work out dinosaur relationships.
The role of ontogeny on character polarization in early dinosaurs: a new specimen from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil and its implications. Historical Biology 31: 794-805
Read the paper : The role of ontogeny on character polarization in early dinosaurs: a new specimen from the Late Triassic of southern Brazil and its implications (opens in a new tab)Full description
Described the skeleton in detail and found features that distinguish Pampadromaeus from other early sauropodomorphs.
Anatomy of the dinosaur Pampadromaeus barberenai (Saurischia—Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation of southern Brazil. PLOS ONE 14: e0212543
Read the paper : Anatomy of the dinosaur Pampadromaeus barberenai (Saurischia—Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic Santa Maria Formation of southern Brazil (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Saturnaliidae
Sources: Wikidata